As Banbury Spencer, the club had competed in various Birmingham based leagues for over 30 years but following the takeover of the club by local businessmen in 1965, and just one season as Banbury United in the West Midlands League, application was made to take the club into a higher grade of football by joining the Southern League.

United’s manager at the time was ex-England international Len Goulden who had won 14 caps for his country, prior to the Second World War interrupting his football career. Len himself made an impassioned plea on behalf of Banbury United for election at the League’s AGM and there is no doubt his standing in the game helped to get the club the necessary votes to be elected at the expense of Kent side Deal Town.

The club’s vice Chairman at the time, John Rogers, was quoted in the local press “We would not have been elected into the League without the supreme effort of Mr Goulden. He had just five minutes to convince other members that Banbury United were ready for Southern League football – and he did just that.”

Sadly, such are the vagaries of football, just nine months later the club unceremoniously sacked Len after a run of poor results. But there is no doubt the club owes a lot to Len for his endeavours in taking the first steps along the path which would lead to Banbury United becoming established as a Southern League side.

Len Goulden

Bigger League Football for Banbury Fans - Local Newspaper Report

It’s bigger league football for Banbury fans next season. After the Annual General Meeting of the Southern League held at the Café Royal in London on Saturday, United were elected to the league’s First Division in place of Kent side Deal Town who came bottom of the table last year.

Banbury’s fellow ex West Midlands Regional League member Dudley Town failed to get elected and the Essex Team, Brentwood, who have recently spent £30,000 on a new clubhouse and £13,000 on floodlights, also failed to get in.

Banbury were represented at the meeting by manager Len Goulden and vice-chairman John Rogers.

Making his plea for Banbury’s election, Mr Goulden told the meeting that since he had joined United, he had been surprised at the great standard of football. Talking of the club’s amenities he said, “We have one of the finest pitches in the South Midlands, a new £15,000 clubhouse and floodlights that will be installed within a fortnight. If we get into your League, I know you will be proud of Banbury United.”

The meeting was a tense and exciting one, for a proposal that the Premier Division be extended from 22 to 24 teams with the addition of two teams from Division 1 was rejected by the Board. This meant there were less vacancies than United were hoping for at Division 1 level. Effectively there were five teams in the voting for two places. Ashford Town and Deal Town seeking re-election and Banbury United, Brentwood and Dudley Town seeking first time admission. Rogers said, “When we knew there were only two vacant places, we gave up all hope, as we thought Ashford and Deal would be comfortably re-elected.”

Then voting took place and after 20 minutes of counting it was found that Ashford Town had duly been re-elected but Banbury had ousted Deal Town! The voting was Ashford Town 33, Banbury United 17, Brentwood 13, Deal Town 12 and Dudley Town 11.

Here is a photo, in the days before the internet, websites and social media of Toko Green, a player for the fledgling Banbury Spencer in the early 1930s, looking into a local newsagent’s window, on that Saturday afternoon 60 years ago today to see the news that Banbury United had been elected to the Southern League.

Toko was rather a legend in local football, playing for Dashwood Road School at the age of 19 and remarkably after playing for various local sides, turning out at the age of 46 for Neithrop Sports. An article relating to Toko that appeared in the local press in November 1957 follows:

The full list of teams for the club’s first season in the Southern League First Division was as follows

Ashford Town
Banbury United
Barry Town
Bexley United
Canterbury City
Crawley Town
Dartford
Dover
Dunstable Town
Gloucester City
Gravesend & Northfleet
Hastings United
Hinckley Athletic
Kettering Town
Margate
Merthyr Tydfil
Ramsgate Athletic
Rugby Town
Sittingbourne
Stevenage Town
Tonbridge
Trowbridge Town
Tunbridge Wells
Wisbech Town

Dover Athletic finished as Division One Champions that season and were promoted to the Premier Division, along with Margate, Stevenage Town and Hastings United. Banbury United finished in 17th place.